It’s Christmastime, which means it’s time to play SKEAL again.
It is free. It is brief. It is delightful.
It is an annual tradition in my life. Now I pass it on to you.
Play SKEAL now in your browser
Happy 5th birthday to this feisty dragon story!
A simple cover, but I still like it.
Five years ago on this date, I published DEBUTS AND DRAGONS. It’s about a dragoness who must find a mate in one night or lose her entire dowry.
This story’s got like a billion of my favorite dragon names in there. If you’re in the mood for something short, light, and fun, I recommend this one!
It’s also available in large print and makes a great gift!
Get your copy of this lighthearted fantasy comedy today!
5 Favorites for November 2024: Creepy, fragrant, dumb, and useful!
“5 Favorites” is a recurring feature here at Pixelvania Publishing. On the last Friday of every month, I post 5 FAVORITE THINGS I’ve recently (or not-so-recently) enjoyed or used, in case you’re looking for something neat to experience.
👻 ⌨️ Blood Typers Demo
Typing horror game
If you loved THE TYPING OF THE DEAD, Epistory: Typing Chronicles, THE TEXTORCIST or any other typing games, you’ll want to try this demo, for sure! Left and right shifts turn you, typing random words littered about the scene make your character walk there, and hitting “tab” puts you into combat mode to attack freaky enemies! The environments are really moody and mysterious so far. I enjoyed my time in the demo and thought you’d wanna know.
▶️ Jose Briones – Dumbphone Reviews
YouTube channel (and helpful website, too! )
My ancient, ruggedized Kyocera is showing its age a little these days. Looking for dumbphone reviews, I discovered this great channel. No baloney, straight to the point, nothing fancy. There are a LOT of dumbphones out there and this channel and the accompanying site have been really helpful. If you need to digitally detox from the slot machine in your pocket, this is a TREASURE TROVE of info. (Also, did you know there are things called kosher phones??)
🚾🐈️🐾👃 “Smell Ya Litter” Odor Eliminator
Litter box smell treatment by Poo-Pourii
If you’re a cat owner, you’ve got litter boxes in the house. If you have litter boxes in the house, sometimes one of your dear sweet feline friends commits an unspeakable hate crime in one of said boxes. I used to use Way of Cats’ Littermint (which was a terrific, all-natural product made of dried herbs) to destinkify–but when Pammy sadly discontinued the product, I began looking for other solutions.
I’ve been pretty happy with this Smell Ya Litter spray. I usually spray it over the box a couple times over the boxes each time I scoop, or (frantically) right after Pixel has left behind one of his more rancid, gag-worthy bombs.
They also make other products for dogs and cats, under the “Pet-Pourri” section.
🗑️ The Garbage Gripper
Surprisingly useful giant rubber band
We got this at Ace Hardware on a whim, but I’m glad we did because it keeps our garbage sacks held in place! You can tie a knot in it if the grip needs to be tighter.
🕰️📱 Repeat Alarm
Like a grandfather clock, but it’s an app for your Android device and customizable for more than one thing
I’ve been trying to get into the habit of moving every hour. I wanted something that would chime on the hour, like a grandfather clock. But setting up an hourly alarm on my tablet was a pain.
This app made it easy. Now my tablet plays a 15-second boogalicious dance tune every hour on the hour between 11AM and 8PM (because I hate it when grandfather clocks go crazy at midnight). You can customize the alarm sound(s), how long it plays, and the range of hours the alarm should go off. It’s really handy, I’m happy I found it!
Happy belated book birthday to a furry Christmas short story
I don’t know, is it time to replace this cover? Still pretty cute, though!
Yesterday was the EIGHTH birthday of one of my earliest published stories: The Purrfect Christmas.
This is such a good one to read to kids. It’s a family-friendly Christmas short story starring some talking cats and dogs that’s funny but teaches some good lessons. And since there’s 12 short chapters, you can read one each night before Christmas (and the epilogue on Boxing Day) for a fun new family tradition!
It’s currently only available as an ebook. Working on that. (It just seems like it won’t be complete without illustrations, and adding those so far has been a lot of work!)
Kick off Christmas early with this cute short story!
Or click here to buy the ebook from other digital retailers.
New sci-fi dramedy release! THE GUESTS OF CROOKED NECK out now!
After a successful Kickstarter (funded in under a week!), I’m happy to announce that my stormy sci-fi novel THE GUESTS OF CROOKED NECK is now available to the general public in both ebook and paperback!
Cover illustration by Danielle
TROUBLE’S IN PARADISE.
In the small town of Crooked Neck, the townsfolk eagerly await the arrival of the galaxy’s two most notorious war criminals.
All except one.
Months ago, the town’s celebrated host, Keonaona Hoʻokano, accepted the duty of housing the dangerous pair.
But things have changed. Now that the day is here, Keonaona wants nothing to do with them.
As the deadly couple approaches his darkened estate, Keonaona spies from the shadows. His next move will set off a chain of events whose repercussions extend far beyond his doorstep.
They will turn the eyes of the galaxy to his hometown.
And they just might push Keonaona past his breaking point…
THE GUESTS OF CROOKED NECK is a moving science fantasy about grief, pride, and being seen. This standalone novel set in the Worlds of Everlush universe takes place soon after the events of STEEL CITY, VEILED KINGDOM.
* * *
Say hello to one of my most atmospheric books yet! Crooked Neck is the sequel to my flagship novel Steel City, Veiled Kingdom, but you don’t need to have read that book to understand Crooked Neck. I wrote it so anyone could enjoy it.
If you want a story that will transport you, then I think you’ll really like it.
Or if you’re one of the following, you will probably enjoy The Guests of Crooked Neck:
- A sci-fi/fantasy fan looking for a matureish sci-fi drama full of vivid characters, intriguing culture clashes, and occasional humor in the vein of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- A sci-fi/fantasy fan who wants to visit a richly imagined setting inspired by upcountry Hawai’i.
- A sci-fi/fantasy fan hungry for a substantial read: Crooked Neck is about the same length as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- A sci-fi/fantasy fan who likes your stories grounded and heartfelt, but not soppy.
- A reader who enjoys books with multiple viewpoint characters. Crooked Neck switches between three main viewpoint characters for most chapters.
Sound good? Then click the green button. 👇️
Support an indie author and BUY DIRECT from Danielle
A belated book birthday to my saltiest tale, THE GIRLFRIEND WHO WASN’T FROM DELAWARE
This was one of the first book covers I created. I still think it’s striking.
Apartment walls are thin. Reality may be thinner.
When terrible nighttime noises threaten his sleep and livelihood, a man sets out to track down the source in my creepy midlength story THE GIRLFRIEND WHO WASN’T FROM DELAWARE.
The cover’s long overdue for a revamp…but I still like what I came up with.
People have told me they like the Girlfriend character. I based her off Celine Dion. And I imagine the jumpsuit she shows up in is really cool.
Discover the secrets of THE GIRLFRIEND WHO WASN’T FROM DELAWARE today!
Or click here to buy it from the big box stores (digitally speaking).
5 Favorites for October 2024: Spooky, helpful, fashionable, and funny
“5 Favorites” is a recurring feature here at Pixelvania Publishing. On the last Friday of every month, I post 5 FAVORITE THINGS I’ve recently (or not-so-recently) enjoyed, in case you’re looking for something neat to experience.
🎃 🎧️ Theme to The Substance
Instrumental song by Raffertie
SiriusXM channel “Cinemagic” (featuring movie scores) did a show called “Cinemagic’s Sounds of Horror”. During the show, this techno-heavy little ditty came on and I liked it. It’s not as intense as the ANGER FOOT medley, but still pretty toe-tappin’. (Other good tracks from the beginning of that show: “Hypnosis” (by Michael Abels) from GET OUT and “Le Monde” (by Richard Carter) from TALK TO ME.
⏲️ Visual Timer – Countdown
Free Android Countdown App, programmed by Christoph Wiesner
Back when I taught reading skills to children for a private company, we used to have visual timers. Visual timers are little boxes where, when you set the time, a colorful shape fills the clock-circle and gradually disappears as the time passes (here’s an example). I always thought it was a great way to track time elapsed at-a-glance. Something about having a shrinking shape is different than just watching numerals count down.
I’m currently back teaching piano lessons, so I thought I’d get a digital visual timer–a very simple one–to help both me and my students keep track of where we are in lessons. When I used it, I turn off the option to display numerals; we just see the shape shrinking.
This app doesn’t have ads (though you can donate to the dev) and is elegant to use. It doesn’t collect or share data with third parties–a big plus in my book.
🎨 Debt-Free Art Degree: Foundations in Drawing: The Affordable Way to Learn Professional Skills
Instructional art book by Marco Bucci
I have learned a lot over the years watching Maro Bucci’s YouTube art tutorials, so pre-ordering his new instructional book was a no-brainer. He teaches in a very friendly, digestible way. And the concepts he teaches have MASSIVE impact as you put them into practice. I’m looking forward to my copy arriving in November! If you’re an artist (or are maybe looking for a gift for an artist?), I strongly recommend checking out this book!
👕 Amoretu Women’s V Neck T Shirts Slim Fitted Half Sleeve Top
Women’s Shirt
Am I the only gal who loves shirts with half sleeves? 3/4 length sleeves don’t feel flattering on me. And while there’s nothing wrong with a regular sleeve on a T-shirt, when I’m wearing half-sleeves, I feel really put together.
Anyway, I bought one of these and am pleased so far with the quality and fit. I got a few colors. I don’t recommend their “Peacock Blue” color; in person, it’s Worn Doctor’s Office Chair Blue. But I think that purple is going to be surprisingly versatile.
🤓 Geek Universe
Funny memes
An offshoot of the legendary I Can Has Cheezburger site, Geek Universe focuses more on various fandoms and other nerdery, like Lord of the Rings and ’90s stuff. I like to scroll through it before bed at night. Love the Dungeons and Dragons themed lists!
See you in November!
A Double Spooky Book Birthday! (One’s belated, whoops…)
I’ve been sick the past week, not even getting out of bed, let alone LOOKING at my calendar…which is why this first spooky book birthday is belated!
GetCovers.com did the cover design!
Yesterday, on October third, my home renovation horror story Bona Ossuaria turned ONE! It feels a little older, probably because I did a Kickstarter for it a few months before its official release.
There’s a story behind that.
I got the idea for Bona Ossuaria (AKA “Bona“) after a watching a certain HGTV program for a few seasons. The show has a fun and wholesome vibe–and I still love it–but my writer brain couldn’t help but see things going…let’s say, darkly wrong with the hosts. So when an anthology themed around houses and homes came along, I took the home reno horror story idea and ran with it.
Bona didn’t get into the anthology, nor into any of the other places I submitted it. But I believed in my little spooky story, and it wound up funding in under a week on Kickstarter, hooray!
If you like slow-burn, female-forward horror stories, give Bona Ossuaria a try today!
Digital illustration by Danielle Williams
Now for today’s book birthday.
On this day SEVEN years ago, I published one of my first spooky short stories: What the Cat Brought Back. In it, a loving cat begins bringing his owner terrifying gifts from parts unknown.
This story will probably hit me differently from now on. I dedicated it to my freshman roommate, Erin Murphy, AKA “Roomie.” We were only roommates for a year, but it was a brilliant year of laughter and camaraderie and bad “Homestar Runner” impressions. She moved off-campus the next year and we drifted apart, but I missed her and thought about our friendship long after I departed college.
When we were roommates, she didn’t look anything like the character “Roomie” in Cat. But I had our close relationship in the back of my mind (and her talent for crochet) when I wrote the story.
Last year I learned Erin died from a drug overdose, far, FAR too young. (Don’t do drugs, okay? It breaks people’s hearts.) Checking this blog’s entries, I realize I didn’t get to these book birthdays last year, so I never really talked about it.
Anyway, that background aside, this is a short, macabre read to get you ready for hardcore Halloweentimes. Heck, get this AND Bona and enjoy a Pixelvania creepy double-feature!
5 Favorites for September 2024: Heartwarming, Heroic, Helpful, and Cheesy
“5 Favorites” is a recurring feature here at Pixelvania Publishing. On the last Friday of every month, I’ll be posting 5 FAVORITE THINGS I’ve recently (or not-so-recently) enjoyed, in case you’re looking for something neat to experience.
🐾The Cinnamon Trust
https://cinnamon.org.uk/
This is for my friends across the pond: the Cinnamon Trust is an organization that helps the elderly and terminally ill with caring for their pets so they can spend more time together. They do things like exercise dogs for housebound owners and long-term cat fostering for people in the hospital. It looks like they’re accepting volunteers, too.
I thought this was a terrific organization and we need many more like it, so I’m just trying to get word out.
📻️ Batman: The Audio Adventures
Free YouTube “Radio Show”!
A retro take on the Batman mythos–complete with cheesy commercials made by and for Gothamites! (Plus: Brent Spiner as the Joker!) I’ve only listened to one episode, but it was pretty good!
🚒 “Save Our Pets” Static Cling
Here’s a design I liked on Etsy. But there’s lots of designs on Etsy and Amazon, find one that works for you!
Here’s an easy, inexpensive way to alert first responders that you have bork borks or meow meows (or other animals!) in your house. Just in case of emergency, better safe than sorry, yanno? I liked the design of this one, even though the static cling version didn’t stick to our windows. I’ll get a different version and see how that works.
👊 One Punch Man opening credits (with AMAZING SUBTITLES)
Season 1. Season 2.
PUT ON THE SUBTITLES for a FABULOUS EXPERIENCE. I’ve never seen subtitles done so well! WAHN-PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCH! This is one of my fam’s favorite shows, it get rewatched a lot. Hurry up, season 3! 😭
🍝 Cheetos Cheesy Jalapeño Mac and Cheese
12-pack on Amazon; or check your local grocery store!
We got curious about the Cheetos-brand mac recently and have been trying out the different varieties as we come across them. There’s four varieties right now: “Four Cheesy”, “Bold and Cheesy”, “Cheesy Bacon”, and “Cheesy Jalapeño”. Here’s mini-reviews:
- Bold and Cheesy: At first it was disorienting tasting the flavor of a crunchy Cheeto snack in a creamy sauce, but in the end, I decided I liked it. A LOT.
- Cheesy Bacon: I didn’t like this one. Too Baco-Bits-tasting, to me. Fakey bacon.
- Four Cheese: The flavor didn’t differentiate itself enough for me to seek it out again. Wasn’t bad, jjust
- Cheesy Jalapeño: Jalapeño-flavored stuff is love it or hate it for me. This one’s in the LOVE category, though, with a nice Mexican food flava to it. Scratches my taco itch when there’s no crunchy shells in the house. Nachoriffic? Perhaps!
I’m not saying this’ll replace the Kraft dinner currently in your pantry, but it makes for a fun change!
See you next month!
A fabulous French bulldog novella turns 7 today!!
Enjoy this cover while you can! It’s getting a makeover soon…
Whoa, Nelly! Fashion Frenchies #1: Love Potion Commotion! is turning SEVEN today!
If this book were a TV series, it’d probably sit alongside Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie, two other “family fantasy” comedies. It has some romance, sure, but that’s not the story’s sole focus–though my first reader also said it reminded her of a Hallmark movie. Very upbeat, very light, very fun.
I wish I could let you all into my brain for a sec to hear how the white French bulldog, Marty, sounds. His voice always cracks me up.
A sequel is coming soon, and with it…a new cover for the entire series! And both books released in paperback. Hooray! But first I have to draw said cover 😱 Wish me luck!